Judge Who Killed Himself Handled At Least Two Troubling
Cases Involving Possible Bias

A support group for clergy sex abuse victims is asking the supervising
judge of Los Angeles Superior Court to investigate another judge under
his supervision who committed suicide almost two weeks ago after he was
accused of molesting a child.

SNAP urged MacLaughlin to review and investigate the allegation and all
sex abuse and juvenile cases Wiatt handled.

If Wiatt was a molester himself, how could he possibly treat molestation
victims with fairness? asked Mary Grant of Long Beach, SNAPs
Western Regional Director. Citizens and taxpayers need to know whether
the victims of sex crimes were treated impartially by Wiatt or not.

In the interest of justice and protecting children, we implore
you (MacLaughlin) to publicly reach out to victims of sexual abuse and
launch a thorough ongoing investigation into this allegation against Wiatt,
SNAPs letter says. They also want MacLaughlin to look into whether
Wiatt misused his power and discretion in any case he presided over.

I hope that if there are other alleged victims who have been abused
by Judge Wiatt, or have been shamed or punished by him for seeking justice
in his court, they will feel safer now and come forward knowing that they
are not alone, said Arambulo.

SNAP leaders believe that the recent child molestation allegation against
Wiatt and his past insensitive treatment to victims of sex crimes are
warning signs that MacLaughlin should not ignore. SNAP fears Wiatts
inappropriate public statement about an alleged rape victim and her case
against the Los Angeles Archdiocese may keep other victims of abused trapped
in shame and silence.

A copy of SNAPs letter sent via Fax is below.

February 23, 2005

Dear Judge MacLaughlin:

We the members of SNAP, The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests,
are very troubled that one of the judges under your supervision, Superior
Court Judge Lloyd Jeffrey Wiatt, committed suicide almost two weeks ago
after detectives contacted him about an allegation that he had molested
a child. In the interest of justice and protecting children, we implore
you to publicly reach out to victims of sexual abuse and launch a thorough
ongoing investigation into this allegation and the possibility of other
alleged victims of abuse by Judge Wiatt or abuse of discretion in any
case he presided over in the State of California.

As you should know, victims of sexual abuse often suffer for years in
secrecy, with overwhelming feelings of guilt, blame and shame. When the
abuser is a trusted authority figure in the community, it is all the more
difficult for victims to report the crimes to police. Perpetrators often
tell their victims that no one will believe them because they are well
connected with those who have the power to stop the abuse, especially
those with authority in the law enforcement or criminal justice system.

Recognizing the tremendous damage done to victims of sexual abuse, California
legislators made changes in both civil and criminal laws allowing more
time for victims to expose their abusers, seek long overdue justice in
the courts and protect kids from potential future harm. Thanks to these
changes, hundreds of civil sex abuse cases have been filed in this state
exposing admitted, known and alleged child molesters, as well as trusted
officials of institutions who knowingly aided and abetted abusers, and
shielded them from prosecution.

The Catholic Church is one of the horrific examples in which trusted
officials abused their positions of trust and authority by their gross
mishandling of abuse reports. Not only did church officials aid and abet
known and suspected molesters, but they continued to needlessly place
children and vulnerable people at risk of abuse, and created a public
safety crisis by knowingly failing to report sex crimes to criminal authorities.

It is no secret that Cardinal Roger Mahony is one these trusted officials
who has protected child molesters, refuses to turn over accused priests'
personnel files to prosecutors, and admittedly refuses to release the
names of at least 33 accused abusers who, we fear, may be working in parishes
and schools today.

As criminal as we in SNAP think Mahonys and the Archdiocese of
Los Angeless actions are, we also believe it would be a horrific
re-victimization and betrayal to be denied justice in the judicial system
by known and suspected abusers or criminal enablers who have the authority
to hold sex criminals accountable.

Reportedly, In December 2002, Judge Wiatt dismissed a former nun's sexual
abuse lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Los Angeles because there wasn't
enough evidence to prove the church conspired to cover up an alleged rape
by a Roman Catholic priest, Fr. Ernesto Villaroya. Other news reports
state the case was dismissed because the statute of limitations expired.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/953964/posts Judge Wiatt
went on by stating in his four-page ruling, "It appears that this
lawsuit was filed to obtain publicity and not for any proper purpose,"
and ordered her attorney George S. Goldberg of Los Angeles to pay $14,405
in sanctions. We suspect the evidence in this case was never heard at
all. Worse, we fear that Judge Wiatts incredibly insensitive statement
as to why he believed the case was filed by the alleged rape victim, Sylvia
Arambulo, may have been designed to silence Arambulo and intimidate and
keep other alleged victims of rape trapped in shame and silence. We know
that the Statute of Limitations has nothing to do with whether the crime
occurred or not and this fact is what inspired recent changes in the laws
of California. http://www.the-signal.com/News/ViewStory.asp?storyID=6481,
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46&aid=12254

In 1999, during the trial of Sylmar widow Jeanie Adair--who was accused
of bludgeoning her husband, Robert, to death with a baseball bat for insurance
money--Judge Wiatt's outspoken manner was on display, lending doubt about
his impartiality or judicial temperament. Marsh Goldstein, the prosecutor
in the case, who has since retired, "appearing before him in the
courtroom was the worst experience in my professional life." After
a jury acquitted Adair, Judge Wiatt declared her "factually innocent,"
an unusual ruling that would have erased records of her arrest and criminal
trial. But state appellate judges reversed the ruling in 2001, finding
that Judge Wiatt abused his discretion. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/los_angeles_metro/la-me-judge12feb12,1,3661125.story?coll=la-commun-los_angeles_metro

In light of these truths, we specifically urge you to:

-review and investigate all sex abuse and juvenile cases (both civil
and criminal) that Wiatt presided over, to determine if any alleged victims
were denied their day in court, and if any other abuse occurred under
his jurisdictional authority.

-send a mailing to all attorneys and persons who had sex abuse cases
and juvenile cases where Judge Wiatt was presiding, and ask if they or
their witnesses were hurt in anyway by Wiatt.

-publicly reach out through the secular news media and make strong personal
appeals urging victims or witnesses who know of abuse or suspect it (no
matter how uncertain they may be or no matter when the abuse may have
occurred) to contact criminal authorities and assist in determining Judge
Wiatts guilt or innocence.

The fact that this allegedly dangerous man worked in your courts, should
be of grave concern to you and weigh heavily on your conscience, knowing
that you have a duty to safeguard the public from any known or suspected
molesters--especially if they presided over sex abuse and juvenile court
cases--and reassure victims and witnesses to feel safe in coming forward.
We urge you again to take prompt steps now to reach out to the victims
with actions of healing, prevention and openness.

As a support group of men and women victimized by clergy, we are deeply
concerned about the protection of children and vulnerable adults. We respectfully
request your assistance in this matter and welcome an opportunity to speak
with you about it in greater detail.